Box gluing device



June 26, 1945.

, C. CHRISTIANSEN BOX GLUING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1945 Jun; 26, 1945. c. CHRIISTIANISEN I 2,379,216

BOX GLUING DEVICE Filed April 25, 1945 2 Sheets-:Sheet 2 Patented June 26, 1945 UNITED STATES iATENT OFFICE BOX GLUIN G DEVICE Christian Christiansen, Swampscott, Mass.

Application April 23, 1943, Serial N 0. 484,270

8 Claims.

This invention relates to adevice for applying glue to the flaps on the ends of box blanks, especially those used to make shoe boxes and the like. Such boxes are formed from a single blank cut so as to form a central portion having two end flaps and two side portions with end tabs. The end flaps are adapted to be folded over the infolded end tabs and secured to them as bygluing and pressing.

The object of the present invention is to apply a thin, uniform coating of glue to the under surfaces of said flaps prior to the final folding and pressing of the blank. I

The present invention embraces the use of a relatively narrow gluing surface or edge over which glue is continuously passed, and means for pressing the flap in contact therewith as it is drawn over said edge by the operator. A second edge slightly spaced from the first is preferably used so that the flap is supported by two spaced surfaces (the glue applying edge and the second edge), in which case the pressing means is adapted to exert pressure at a point approximately midwa between the two surfaces. The said second surface serves to guide the flap in a straight-line as it is drawn over the applying edge, and also serves to ensure removal of any excess glue. Adjustable control means is provided to regulate the pressure exerted by the pressing means and thereby regulate the thickness of the film of glue deposited on the flap. Any suitable means may be used for supplying glue to the applying edge, but the present invention embraces the use of a glue pick up roll and an inclined tray having a sharp forward edge or doctor adapted to receive glue from the roll and an upright rear wall lower than the receiving edge so that the glue runs down the tray, over the rear wall, and back into the glue supply receptacle below, in which event an upright wall of the tray serves as the glue applying edge described above.

The nature and objects of. the invention will best be understood from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the glue applying mechanism of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. i is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing the position of theparts at the beginning of a glue applying operation;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 4, showing subsequent positions of the mechanism during the glue applying operation.

Fig. '7 is a view in perspective of a partially folded box blank, showing one way in which it may be held during the application of glue to the under surface of the end flap.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in front elevation.

In the drawings, a glue applying mechanism generally indicated at A is supported by brackets I, l secured to the upper part of a frame'2 which also carries a presser mechanism generally indicated at B and a driving mechanism therefor generally indicated at C. The mechanisms indicated at B and C do not form a part of the present in- -vention, but are more fully shown, described and claimed in an application Serial No. 484,271 filed simultaneously herewith. Rising from the frame 2 is a standard 3 supporting a motor 4 having a pulley 5 connected b a driving belt 6 to a large pulley I on a shaft 8. A small pulley 9 driven by the shaft 8, when connected therewith by a clutch III, is connected by a belt I l to a pulley I2 secured to a shaft I3 extending transversely through a glue pot I4 and suitably mounted in bearings I5 formed in the side walls of said glue pot. Carried by the shaft I3 within the glue pot M is a glue pick-up roll I6 (Fig. 2). Depending from the bottom of said glue pot I4 is a heating box I! through which extends a heating coil I8. Secured in the upper and rearwardly extending portion of the glue pot I4 as by bolts I9 is a tray 20 which has an upwardly extending rear wall 26a, and a sharp forward edge 2| which is held substantially tangentiall to the peripheral surface of the glue pick-up roll IS. The tray 20 is,

inclined backwardly so that the top of the rear wall 20a is lower than the forward edge 2|. Extending upwardly from the glue pot l4 are extensions 2222 of the supporting brackets I, I which carry, suitably journalled therein, a rock shaft 23 to which are secured rearwardly extending arms 24 and 25 joined at their outer ends by a rod 26. A spring 21 about the shaft 23 tends to urge it in a clockwise direction in Fig. 1 to hold the arms 24 and 25 in a substantially horizontal position in which the rod 26 is spaced from the top of the glue pot I4. An extension arm 28 carried by said rod 26 is connected, as by a link 29, to an arm 30 secured to a sleeve 3| (Fig. 8) carried by a. shaft 32 journalled in suitable bearings at the bottom of the frame 2. Secured to the sleeve 3I is a pedal 33 adapted to be depressed to move said sleeve counter-clockwise in Fig. 1 to rotate the arm 30 to pull downwardly on the link 29 and the arm 28 to swing the rod 26 downwardly against the tension of the spring 21. The movement of the rod 26 is limited in both directions by a stop 34 (Fig. 4) secured to the shaft 23 and having a curved slot 35 concentric with the shaft 23 adapted to receive the end of the shaft l3. Movement of the stop 34 is limited in one direction by engagement of said shaft I3 with one end of the slot 35, while movement in the other direction is limited by an adjustable set screw 36 which extends through the stop piece 34 into the opposite end of said slot 35.

In the machine shown, the downward movement of the rod is limited by the end of the slot 35, and the upward movement may be regulated by the position of the set screw 36. If desired, however, the set screw can be located in the opposite end of the slot 35 to regulate the downward movement of the rod 26,

The back wall 20a of the tray 20 rises slightly above the back of the glue pot [4. A bar 31 is secured to the back of the glue pot l4 so that it is substantially parallel to the edge of the back wall 20a of the tray 20. and its top surface is substantially on a level with the top surface of the wall. These two surfaces form a support for the flap, so that it is positioned properly with respect to the tray 20 and is guided in a substantially straight line as it is withdrawn by the operator. The rod 26 is adapted to press on the top of the flap along a line extending between the two parallel supports and to hold it against both surfaces.

Secured to one end of the shaft 32 is an arm 38 connected by a link 39 to an arm 40 of the clutch l0. Intermediate the ends of said shaft 32 is a pedal 4| adapted to be depressed to rotatesaid shaft clockwise in Fig. l to actuate said clutch to engage the pulley 9 with the shaft 8 to start the machine.

In operation, the operator starts the machine by depressing the pedal 4|. This causes the roll IE to rotate counterclockwise in Fig. l to carry heated glue upwardly from the glue pct 14 to the edge 2| of the tray 20 which scrapes the glue off the roll and allows it to flow backwardly down the inclined bottom of the tray. After the tray is full, the glue flows constantly over the back wall 20a and down to the glue pot underneath.

After the glue has been supplied to the wall 2 a, the top of which serves as a glue applying surface, the operator holds the box blank over the tray as shown in Fig. 4 with the end portion or flap 42' extending substantially horizontally and reaching nearly to the forward edge of the tray.

The blank may be held flat, or if preferred, may

be partially folded and held as shown in Fig. 7. After the blank is in position, the operator depresses the pedal 33 to pull the rod 26 downwardly across the back of the end flap 42 and hold it tightl against the top of the supporting surfaces formed by the upper edges of the wall 20a and the bar 31. He then pulls the blank toward him (see Figs. and 6) so that the bottom surface of the flap 42 is moistened with a thin, evenly distributed film of glue as it is drawn over the glue applying surface of the wall a. If too much glue is applied as the blank passes over the glue applying edge, the edge of the bar 31 (preferably a relatively sharp edge) removes the excess as the glued surface of the flap is drawn over it and aids in distributing the remainder. The glue applying edge of the wall 20a, in conjunction with the press rod should in most cases, however, satisfactorily control the application of the amount of glue desired, since the rod can exert more or less pressure on the top of the blank according to the adjustment of the stop 34.

I claim: 1. A device for applying glue to the flap of a 5 box blank comprising a tray adapted to receive glue and having an upstanding edge over which the glue flows, means for supplying glue to said tray, and means for pressing the flap of the box blank against said upstanding edge so that a thin film of glue is applied to the flap as it is drawn oved said edge.

2. In a device for applying glue to the flap of a box blank, a tray adapted to receive glue at the front end thereof having a back wall the top of which is lower than the glue receiving end to permit overflow at the back, means for supplying glue to said tray, a support for said flap mounted parallel to and spaced from the back of said tray, and means for pressing said flap to hold the under surface thereof against the back of said tray and against. the top surface of saidsupport as said flap is withdrawn so that the glue passing over the back of said tray is spread over the under surface of said flap and is spread into a thin film thereon. I

3. A device for applying glue to the flap of a box blank comprising, in combination, a glue pot, a roll, rotatably mounted in said glue pot, a tray mounted over said glue pot having a glue-receiving edge held substantially tangentially to the peripheral surface of said roll and an upstanding glue-applying edge lower than said glue-receiving edge so that liquid glue passing over said receiving, edge will flow over said applying edge, means for rotating said roll to carry glue upwardly from said glue pot over the receiving edge, a supporting member for said flap spaced from said applying edge and approximately level therewith, and

means for pressing said flap against said supporting member and said glue-applying edge.

4.. A device for applying glue to. the flap of a box blank comprising, in combination. a glue pot, means for heating the glue therein, a roll rotatably mounted in said glue pot, means for rotating said roll, an inclined. gluing tray adapted to receive glue at its forward end and to permit it to flow over its rearward end, said forward end having a relatively sharp doctor ed e held substantially tangentially to the peripheral surface of said roll, said rearward end forming an upright wall spaced from the rear wall of said glue pot to allow the overflow of glue to return to the glue pot and adapted to operate as a support for said flap, 9. second support for said flap arranged parallel to and spaced from said upright Wall having its top surface substantially level with the top surface of said wall, and means for pressing said flap intermediate said supporting surfaces to hold the underside of said flap closely adjacent thereto as it is drawn across said upright wall, whereby the glue passing over said upright wall is spread in a thin uniform film over a portion of the underside of said flap.

5. A device for applying adhesive to the flap of a box blank having, in combination, an adhesive applying member having. an upper surface adapted to contact the flap, means for causing adhesive to flow over said surface, means for pressing said flap against said surface, and an adjustable stop for limiting the pressure applied to the flap by the pressing means by which the thickness of the deposit on the flap is regulated.

6. A device for applying adhesive to the flap of a box blank having,.in combination, an adhesive applying member having a top surface adapted to support the flap, means for causing adhesive to flow over said surface, a member spaced from the adhesive applying member having a top surface adapted to guide the flap properly across the applying member, and means for pressing the flap against the two members as it is drawn over them.

'7. A device for applying adhesive to the fiap of a box blank having, in combination, an adhesive applying member having a top surface adapted to support the flap, means for causing adhesive to flow over said surface, a member spaced from the adhesive applying member having a top edge adapted to scrape the bottom surface of the flap after the applying member has left. a film of adhesive thereon, and means for pressing th flap against the two members as it is drawn over them.

8. A device for applying adhesive to the flap of a box blank having, in combination, a tank for holding the adhesive, a tray held above the tank 

